An
urban legend about a cursed
mummy case that brings death or ill fortune on those who own or handle the case. (One owner commits suicide, one handler breaks his leg while moving the case, etc. All the '
classic' fates often seen in such legends.) According to the legend, it was eventually shipped to America onboard the
RMS Titantic. By inference, the sinking is the mummies ultimate revenge, once again she rests in peace.
There are several problems with this tale. Supposedly
Madame Helena Blavatsky, a 'A well known authority on the occult', was called in to consult. This is fairly difficult considering she died in 1891. Secondly, there is no mummy or case known to have been on the Titanic. Lastly, the lid of the mummy case that seems to have inspired the tale remains in the
British Museum.
According to
snopes.com the inventor of the tale (
William Stead) was onboard the Titanic, and told this tale the night before the sinking. (He did not survive.) Accounts of his telling the tale by survivors became jumbled and produced the legend in it's current form.
See: http://www.snopes2.com/horrors/ghosts/mummy.htm for more details.